سُوْرَةُ سَبَاٍ
Surah Saba (34) — Ayah 16
فَأَعْرَضُوا۟ فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَيْلَ ٱلْعَرِمِ وَبَدَّلْنَـٰهُم بِجَنَّتَيْهِمْ جَنَّتَيْنِ ذَوَاتَىْ أُكُلٍ خَمْطٍ وَأَثْلٍ وَشَىْءٍ مِّن سِدْرٍ قَلِيلٍ ﴿16﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
But they turned away (from the obedience of Allâh), so We sent against them Sail Al-‘Arim (flood released from the dam), and We converted their two gardens into gardens producing bitter bad fruit, and tamarisks, and some few lote-trees.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَأَعْرَضُوا۟
fa-aʿraḍū
But they turned away
فَأَرْسَلْنَا
fa-arsalnā
so We sent
عَلَيْهِمْ
ʿalayhim
upon them
سَيْلَ
sayla
(the) flood
ٱلْعَرِمِ
l-ʿarimi
(of) the dam
وَبَدَّلْنَـٰهُم
wabaddalnāhum
and We changed for them
بِجَنَّتَيْهِمْ
bijannatayhim
their two gardens
جَنَّتَيْنِ
jannatayni
(with) two gardens
ذَوَاتَىْ
dhawātay
producing fruit
أُكُلٍ
ukulin
producing fruit
خَمْطٍۢ
khamṭin
bitter
وَأَثْلٍۢ
wa-athlin
and tamarisks
وَشَىْءٍۢ
washayin
and (some)thing
مِّن
min
of
سِدْرٍۢ
sid'rin
lote trees
قَلِيلٍۢ
qalīlin
few
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 16) ➊ { فَاَعْرَضُوْا :} That is, instead of turning in repentance and returning, they chose aversion and rebellion, and instead of servitude and gratitude, they chose disbelief and ingratitude, and turned away from the admonitions of the prophets and those who enjoined good.
➋ {فَاَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَيْلَ الْعَرِمِ : ’’ الْعَرِمِ ‘‘ ’’عَرِمَةٌ‘‘} is the plural, meaning layers upon layers of stones, referring to a dam made of stones. That is, as a consequence of their rebellion and aversion, Allah sent upon them the flood of the dam. Due to heavy and continuous rains, so much water accumulated that the dam could not withstand it and broke apart. The force of the water was such that the remaining dams also kept breaking, and the entire cultivable area was submerged. Not only were the gardens and fields destroyed by the flood, but the land itself suffered erosion and its fertile layer was washed away. With the destruction of the dams and canals, the means of irrigating the land for the future also ended. Where once there was abundance of water, people began to long even for drinking water. Most of the people and their livestock drowned in the flood; those who survived fled towards different countries to save their lives, and they scattered in such a way that their scattering became a proverb in the Arabic language. Thus, it began to be said that such-and-such a nation "scattered like Saba."
➌ {وَ بَدَّلْنٰهُمْ بِجَنَّتَيْهِمْ جَنَّتَيْنِ … : ’’ ذَوَاتَيْ ‘‘} This is the dual of {’’ذَاتٌ‘‘}, meaning "those with." {’’ اُكُلٍ ‘‘} means fruits. {’’ خَمْطٍ ‘‘} means colocynth, something that gets stuck in the throat, tasteless. {’’ اَثْلٍ ‘‘} means tamarisk. That is, instead of the gardens with the best fruits that once stretched for miles on both sides of the valleys, We made grow for them such two-sided gardens in which there were either colocynth trees with bitter and tasteless fruits, or tamarisk trees, or a small portion of a few lote trees. Plots consisting of colocynth, tasteless fruits, and tamarisk cannot be called gardens; as a form of mockery and sarcasm, only the word "garden" has been used in contrast to the real gardens, but there is some delight in the lote tree. To express its scarcity, two words have been used: one is {’’ قَلِيْلٍ ‘‘} and the other is "some small part of it," that is, the word {’’ شَيْءٍ مِّنْ سِدْرٍ ‘‘} has been used.
➋ {فَاَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَيْلَ الْعَرِمِ : ’’ الْعَرِمِ ‘‘ ’’عَرِمَةٌ‘‘} is the plural, meaning layers upon layers of stones, referring to a dam made of stones. That is, as a consequence of their rebellion and aversion, Allah sent upon them the flood of the dam. Due to heavy and continuous rains, so much water accumulated that the dam could not withstand it and broke apart. The force of the water was such that the remaining dams also kept breaking, and the entire cultivable area was submerged. Not only were the gardens and fields destroyed by the flood, but the land itself suffered erosion and its fertile layer was washed away. With the destruction of the dams and canals, the means of irrigating the land for the future also ended. Where once there was abundance of water, people began to long even for drinking water. Most of the people and their livestock drowned in the flood; those who survived fled towards different countries to save their lives, and they scattered in such a way that their scattering became a proverb in the Arabic language. Thus, it began to be said that such-and-such a nation "scattered like Saba."
➌ {وَ بَدَّلْنٰهُمْ بِجَنَّتَيْهِمْ جَنَّتَيْنِ … : ’’ ذَوَاتَيْ ‘‘} This is the dual of {’’ذَاتٌ‘‘}, meaning "those with." {’’ اُكُلٍ ‘‘} means fruits. {’’ خَمْطٍ ‘‘} means colocynth, something that gets stuck in the throat, tasteless. {’’ اَثْلٍ ‘‘} means tamarisk. That is, instead of the gardens with the best fruits that once stretched for miles on both sides of the valleys, We made grow for them such two-sided gardens in which there were either colocynth trees with bitter and tasteless fruits, or tamarisk trees, or a small portion of a few lote trees. Plots consisting of colocynth, tasteless fruits, and tamarisk cannot be called gardens; as a form of mockery and sarcasm, only the word "garden" has been used in contrast to the real gardens, but there is some delight in the lote tree. To express its scarcity, two words have been used: one is {’’ قَلِيْلٍ ‘‘} and the other is "some small part of it," that is, the word {’’ شَيْءٍ مِّنْ سِدْرٍ ‘‘} has been used.
